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24 Aug 2013, 02:51

HedgeWi wrote:

Seeking advice:

In the 2nd essay, "Describe a time when you pushed yourself beyond your comfort zone", is it better to decribe a professional situation than a personal example? I have a strong personal example but I'm concerned whether the AdCom will think "Everyone faces issues in the family or personal life. Being pushed in a personal side is common in everyone's life but a professional example will give insight onto how I handle things in the workplace"

dukealum7 - you are welcome!

HedgeWi, I think there is no straightforward personal vs professional answer to your question. What I would suggest you to do is to write a few narratives and than rank each by the following criteria, disregarding the professional vs. personal theme for now:1. What did you usually do before the situation?2. What you did differently after?3. The gap between 1 and 2 would be the measure of how much you pushed yourself. The bigger, the better.4. Did you push yourself or were you pushed by the circumstances? Here, in my opinion, you must choose a story where you actively pushed yourself, and where you had other options, but you chose the tough one.

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24 Aug 2013, 05:21

dukealum7 wrote:

HedgeWi wrote:

Seeking advice:

In the 2nd essay, "Describe a time when you pushed yourself beyond your comfort zone", is it better to decribe a professional situation than a personal example? I have a strong personal example but I'm concerned whether the AdCom will think "Everyone faces issues in the family or personal life. Being pushed in a personal side is common in everyone's life but a professional example will give insight onto how I handle things in the workplace"

Posted from my mobile device

All things being equal, I'd go with the personal example if it's stronger. The key to this is "when you pushed yourself" -- it's better to write about an uncomfortable situation that you got yourself into, rather than something that simply happened to you. If your personal situation was just a reaction to something that's fairly common, I'd go with the other example. Hard to tell without knowing more details, but I hope that answered your question.

That's correct, the only 2 things you should keep in mind is:1.) That there is a balance in your application - you don't want all the essays to be personal2.) That you answer the question - i.e. you were proactive in stepping out of your comfort zone rather than reactive. Quite often than not, persona l stories tend to be reactive.

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I will stick with the personal example. It was a situation that I got myself into and isn't a very common circumstance. My other essay is altogether professional so I should be ok to make this personal.

Also this was an instance where I couldve dealt with the personal issue differently but I cHose a different approach that pushed me to my limits. This will sit well with MIT's behavioural answering style as well.

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27 Aug 2013, 06:36

Guys, in the MIT application site, they provided Upload options for both essay 1 and 2, but only a text box for the optional essay where they invite us to share with them anything about us, in any format.

How do I upload a file for the optional essay? I don't see the option. Please advise if you know. Thank you!

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27 Aug 2013, 06:40

TheEntrepreneur wrote:

Guys, in the MIT application site, they provided Upload options for both essay 1 and 2, but only a text box for the optional essay where they invite us to share with them anything about us, in any format.

How do I upload a file for the optional essay? I don't see the option. Please advise if you know. Thank you!

You'll need to post it on some server somewhere and include a link.
_________________

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27 Aug 2013, 19:35

TheEntrepreneur wrote:

Guys, in the MIT application site, they provided Upload options for both essay 1 and 2, but only a text box for the optional essay where they invite us to share with them anything about us, in any format.

How do I upload a file for the optional essay? I don't see the option. Please advise if you know. Thank you!

I think it is best to use a service that they can view/play the file immediately when they click a link you provide. Examples would be YouTube, slideshare, or soundcloud.

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29 Aug 2013, 03:54

Guys, for the optional question, I remember reading somewhere that, if we choose to do a video, the guideline length is 1 minute. But for the life of me, I can't seem to find this particular restriction in the website or in the application instructions. Could someone clarify if this 1 minute restriction is indeed the case?

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29 Aug 2013, 04:29

randomwalk wrote:

Guys, for the optional question, I remember reading somewhere that, if we choose to do a video, the guideline length is 1 minute. But for the life of me, I can't seem to find this particular restriction in the website or in the application instructions. Could someone clarify if this 1 minute restriction is indeed the case?

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29 Aug 2013, 07:24

randomwalk wrote:

Guys, for the optional question, I remember reading somewhere that, if we choose to do a video, the guideline length is 1 minute. But for the life of me, I can't seem to find this particular restriction in the website or in the application instructions. Could someone clarify if this 1 minute restriction is indeed the case?

Direct quote from adcom on a chat: "The supplemental has no restrictions but please keep in mind the reader's time."

A minute might be enough, depending what you're trying to do, but it also sounds like it might get a little rushed. By contrast, NYU has a 5-minute limit if a video is used for the Personal Expression and if you watch any of those, you will realize that 5 minutes is waaaay too long.

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29 Aug 2013, 09:12

randomwalk wrote:

Guys, for the optional question, I remember reading somewhere that, if we choose to do a video, the guideline length is 1 minute. But for the life of me, I can't seem to find this particular restriction in the website or in the application instructions. Could someone clarify if this 1 minute restriction is indeed the case?

1 Minute was last year's guideline. This year the guidelines seem less strict. I would say in that case the guideline should be the consideration of the viewer's time, so the longer you make it, the more you should make sure every second is necessary and interesting.

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30 Aug 2013, 14:38

jumsumtak wrote:

dukealum7 wrote:

Anyone have experience with class visits and the Ambassadors program (http://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/admissions/admission-events/ambassadors-program)? I'm visiting this fall, and my two priorities are talking to students and sitting in on a class. The Ambassadors program sounds perfect for facilitating this, but it sounds like they only run it on Mondays and Thursdays. Unfortunately, I plan to stop by on a Tuesday or Wednesday due to work committments -- is the Ambassadors program something special that's worth changing my schedule for, or is it just a convenient way to lump multiple events together (class, lunch, info session) that I could recreate on a Tuesday/Wednesday?

I know their website states class visits are only offered on Monday 'and' Thursday. That is, I think, different from the Ambassador's program. You can always call and check with the adcom for your intended date of travel. Also, the registration for Ambassador's program will start soon (pretty certain about that), so alternatively, you can wait for an email.

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05 Sep 2013, 11:08

murakip2 wrote:

is it possible to evaluate my chance for SLOAN? Because my gmat is not well and I am confused.

GMAT:600internationalGPA (undergrad) 3.60 (undergrad business management and minor programme in engineering school)GPA (PHD) 3.75 (All but dissertation)8 years experiment in a financial regulation agencynational representative of an international organization (such as financial stability board) about financial services.letter of recommendation by one of the wealthiest person/entrepreneur of the country.

Hey murakip2 - the adcom (MIT and elsewhere) always look at a profile in total, and the GMAT is just one datapoint. Your GMAT is well below the average but you're an international candidate (we can tell because of how you spelled "programme" ) and if the low GMAT is due to low verbal, then maybe (a very firm "maybe") you're OK. It really depends. It's hard to say without knowing a lot more - which is probably beyond scope than we can do here in the MIT applicants' thread.

One comment though: It sounds like you may be about to make a classic mistake: Letters of recommendation should be from people who KNOW YOU WELL - not people who are famous or important. If you have someone who both knows you well, and happens to be famous, no problem - but you need to go with those who can actually write in detail about your work abilities, achievements, and contributions. It's not clear from your post in what context you worked with this wealthy entrepreneur person but we would caution you about choosing someone who has status just because of the status.

Not sure if this helps at all...?

You definitely have a nontraditional background and there are both pluses and minuses to that - again, more than we should go into here since it's personal to you and we don't want to hijack this MIT thread. MIT looks for all kinds of things and it's clear you have a lot to offer so you should absolutely go for it!! But the GMAT is indeed low and it's tough to get in with a lower score - not impossible, but not easy either.

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Just sent a report to Sloan from mba site. It says it'd take up to 3 weeks for it to be reported.... Why so slow? Would Sloan be okay with late score report since I self-reported my stuff in the apps?

Also, does anyone know any reliable hassle free server services where we can host a PDF link? Does dropbox work?

Per MIT's website: We require that the official GMAT/GRE test scores are sent to us by the application deadline. We understand that sometimes it takes 1-2 weeks for the test centers to release the scores. Therefore, it is acceptable if we receive the scores shortly after the application deadline.